Helldivers 2 targets Arrowhead to bolster Illuminate army
These are turbulent times for Helldiver. Not only have the cowardly Illuminati returned after disappearing for a century, but they are kidnapping the inhabitants of Super-Earth and turning them into terrifying monsters known as the Voiceless. This doesn’t even touch on the plans of the other two factions: the Automatons, who are closing in on Super-Earth, and the Terminids, who are producing tons of mysterious, evolution-inspiring spores. But the worst part is that I’m pretty sure we can’t trust anything Super-Earth tells us. I think they might be making up a tall tale or two.
The Illuminate made a surprise appearance right after The Game Awards ended, and the Helldivers headed to Planet Calypso to fight them. This world was under siege from Enlightenment, and players managed to complete the Grand Order in the last few minutes of the campaign.
Super Earth then sent a small status update that reads:
The resurgent Illuminati were driven back by the Helldivers. Order has been restored on CALIPSO. It is believed that a small cell of Enlightenment forces survived their destruction at the end of the First Galactic War and remains hidden to this day. Recent Democratic activism may have made their discovery inevitable, accelerating the recent attack. (…) US Air Force reconnaissance units will soon begin hunting down any remnants. Once they are discovered, they will be destroyed.
Small cage? Well, that sounds encouraging. The Illuminati disappeared for a day after Operation Ancient Vengeance on Calypso, and the Helldivers were relieved. But then in Operation Squid Game we got a new set of orders. This time the Illuminati are attacking several planets, the main one being the world of Genesis Prime. Super Earth explained this with mission text that reads:
It is unknown how they eluded detection in the previous century; however, their ability to do so indicates limited cell size. Their number is limited. This attack is an opportunity to complete the eradication of this xenophobic threat, ensuring the safety of the galaxy once again.
Playing against Illuminate, I can’t help but notice something alarming. They have a much smaller roster than the other two factions, but they also have no equivalent to the Bile Titans or Factory Striders. No matter what difficulty you play on, you’ll get the same guys: Voiceless, Overseers, and Reapers. It seems very likely that we will see new squid emerge. If you check the Illuminate ranks from the beginning HelldiversThere are some terrifying possibilities: Obelisk, Illusionist, and Great Eye may appear in one form or another.
Super-Earth seems pretty calm about all this, but I can’t stress enough that I think they might be wrong. Helldivers 2 is full of narrative surprises, and I don’t see that changing. If you think walking harvesters are bad, hold on to your butts: I guarantee the Illuminati will only get scarier.